


Kisses and Kitties

by Junliet



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Cats, College AU, Fluff, M/M, SecretSantaFS, Softness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21824329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junliet/pseuds/Junliet
Summary: Javier wasn't having a good day.First of all, he'd slept through his alarm and so woke up horrendously late for work and to about three hundred missed calls and texts from Deniss and Stephane: his coworker and boss. Then he came down to find that his beloved cat had thrown his beloved jar of ground coffee across the floor and he didn't have a spare. Ripped apart from his morning dose of caffeine, he half choked on the piece of toast he tried to inhale as he stumbled out of the door, finishing tying his shoe as he walked.
Relationships: Javier Fernández/Yuzuru Hanyu
Comments: 18
Kudos: 51
Collections: Secret Santa's Kiss & Cry 2019





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ForeverDoesntExist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverDoesntExist/gifts).



> The present for my secret santa. Please enjoy this fluff <3

Javier wasn't having a good day.

First of all, he'd slept through his alarm and so woke up horrendously late for work and to about three hundred missed calls and texts from Deniss and Stephane: his coworker and boss. Then he came down to find that his beloved cat had thrown his beloved jar of ground coffee across the floor and he didn't have a spare. Ripped apart from his morning dose of caffeine, he half choked on the piece of toast he tried to inhale as he stumbled out of the door, finishing tying his shoe as he walked.

But Javier's misery didn't stop there. Oh no, that would have been too easy. Instead, the deities looked down on him and laughed as they made it rain as he walked to work and, in his haste, he'd left his coat at home. He cursed every deity he could think of, and some he probably made up, as he made his way into the small quaint cafe run by two men. The one cleaning the counter top started chuckling at the sight of Javier before him who looked like a drenched cat.

"Good morning sleepy head."

"Shut up Deniss," Javier mumbled as he pulled off his coat and ran a hand through his hair to fluff the curls up slightly, "not my fault my morning is off to a crappy--"

"Language, Mr Fernandez!" Another man with soft brow hair, light stubble, and chocolatey brown eyes stepped out of the back room carrying a tray of cookies out to put in the display case.

"Sorry Stephane," Javier mumbled as he tugged off his soaked sweater as well and tied the apron around himself, "I'm just having the day from hell today."

"Poor baby," Stephane passed him a black americano and a blueberry muffin, "go and take some time to dry off before you drip even more over the floor, and Deniss ends up slipping on it. He's a klutz and you know he is."

"Hey!" Deniss shouted to Javier from where he was heading into the backroom. "Not funny!"

Okay, Javier's day wasn't that bad. It could get better. Or so he thought. Only about twenty minutes later, Deniss decided to take his break. Javier was happy as he cleaned the counters when a new customer came in: an asshole who, no matter what Javier did, sent back his cappuccino and complained about the price, the temperature, the coffee taste, the milk taste, and about the fact he was offered chocolate on top. No matter what Javier said to try and calm the man down, he insisted on calling out his manager, so Javier had to fetch Stephane from the back. The Swiss man somehow had a way with people and he could calm down even the angriest of customers with his soft white jumper and even softer, calmer demeanour. Once the customer left, Stephane just sighed at Javier and, with a gentle smile, helped him clean up the counters.

"You should go home early. Don't worry about it. You're just having a bad day, and need some space. Go home and rest, and take tomorrow off if you need it too, okay?"

"Okay," Javier nodded with a sigh as he untied his apron and hung it up in the backroom before he collected his still soaked jumper and coat and trudged out into the rain again, sticking his hands into his pockets and lowering his head.

The deity controlling his day once again decided to mess with him as a car hit a puddle too fast, soaking Javier even further and a soaked flier hit him in the face, sticking to his cheeks with the water. With a grimace and Spanish curses muttered under his breath, he peeled the paper off and was about to screw it up when something caught his eye.

_Do you love cats?_

Javier thought back to his hell cat who had ruined his beloved morning drink and sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yes, I love her," he mumbled to himself before he kept reading.

_Do you have a heart?_

"I like to think so..."

_Come down to Keiji's Kat Shelter, the adoption centre for all your feline friends. Abandoned cats found by us are taken care of and looked after until a new home can be found for them. Could it be your home that is destined to be shared with theirs?_

Javier stood there, getting soaked by the pouring rain, as he read the leaflet over and over. He read the address and raised an eyebrow; it was only a few streets away from the cafe and where he was. Inhaling sharply, he shook as much water off the leaflet as he could before he pocketed it and turned, heading towards the cat shelter instead of home.

From the outside, it looked warm and comforting. The front of the shop had been painted in pale cream, and written in black paint and a cursive, loopy script was _Keiji's Kat Shelter_ and a cream awning that matched. Javier ran underneath it and shook the water out of his curls again. With a sigh, he pushed the door open, bell ringing, as he stepped in.

Seemingly everywhere he looked, there were cats. Cats climbed over every single surface, meowing and rubbing up against his legs as soon as he came in. The ran to him like he smelled of fish and catnip. Javier made sure to shut the door behind him so that none of the cats or kittens could run away into the street or the road. Javier almost unconsciously and idly crouched down and offered a hand for the cats to sniff at. Immediately, four tried to shove their heads against his hand for pets and scratches behind their ears. Javier laughed and knelt down, letting the cats climb onto him and into his arms.

"Hi, hi, sorry about this! We've only just properly opened everything up and there are so many cats that we don't really know what we're doing at the moment. Can I help you?"

Javier looked up and his brain short circuited. There, standing with two cats in his arms, was the most beautiful young man Javier had ever seen. He was slender, with long limbs and the tiniest waist ever. His fingers, half dug into the fluff on the calico cat's back, were long and slender with clean cut painted nails and neat cuticles. His cheeks were slightly flushed pink from running around the shop, hectic as he tried to sort everything out. His jawline was sharp enough to cut diamond from the side, and Javier couldn't help but want to trace it with his fingertips. Hanging around his neck were three distinct necklaces: a black diamond that sat neatly between his collarbones on a beaded chain, a black necklace that came to a point at the front below his Adam's apple, and another black necklace with a blue metallic ball clasp that also came to rest between his collarbones. Dark trousers covered in white cat hairs covered his legs, and he had on a soft white jumper with black and white stripes on it with sleeves pushed up to his elbows. He had on black and white vans and a red apron with a pocket on the front. A little white kitten stuck her head out of the front pouch, and the young man stroked her head lightly as the tabby cat climbed up onto his shoulder. His voice sounded like honey or sugar to Javier when the other spoke, even if it was a little breathless and

But it was his face that really caught Javier's attention and took his breath away. Soft black hair fell to his eyebrows, parted in the middle. Pale pink rosebud lips formed a sunshine smile with straight white teeth. His eyes were so dark and captivating. Near black, they sparkled a little when the light caught them and his pale skin contrasted both them and the orange, brown, and black fur of the calico cat in his arms.

"Can I help you sir?" The young man asked again, still juggling the two cats in his arms as the kitten in the pouch of his apron let out a little squeak and quiet meow. "Are you looking to adopt one of our cats? Or would you maybe like a coffee? Or do you want to just sit and cuddle them for a little while?"

Javier opened and closed his mouth several times before he finally regained his senses. With a light smile, he stood with a kitten in his arms and spoke to the other.

"Hi," he started before he cleared his throat and tried again. "Hi. I'm sorry, the weather out there is so bad, and I was hoping I could stay in here for a little bit and just dodge the rain?"

The young man raised an eyebrow at him before he nodded with a little smile, stroking the tabby resting on his shoulder. "Follow me, sir. I'll lead you through to the back room. We have a couple of areas where you can play with the cats for a little and," he half smirked at Javier's drenched and half drowned state, "warm up and dry off. You can sit back here and warm up."

Javier could not believe how his luck had changed. From his terrible day, he had somehow stumbled upon a beautiful angel in a room filled with his favourite animals that was offering him free coffee. He stood, still holding the kitten in his arms, and shrugged off his coat as he followed the other down the corridor.

Javier's dream was getting better and better. In the front room, there had been cats on every surface it seemed. In the back room the other took him in, there were sofas set up as well as more cat beds than Javier had ever seen. Cats of every size from the front room ran after the pair and, as soon as Javier settled down on the sofa, they swarmed him, cuddling up to him. They squeaked and meowed as a soft calico rubbed up against his neck. A British Shorthair decided to balance on his shoulders. A chartreux cat curled up on his lap. Javier stroked their backs lightly as the other young man flitted around.

" _Keiji! Keiji, it's really wet outside. There's a guy in the back room. He needs to dry off, and I said he could sit in for a bit and play with the cats and have coffee. Anyway, can you sort out some of the front of house stuff for me? I'll sort out the stuff back here and make you a cup of tea and feed all the cats later, I promise_." The young man spoke in Japanese, words flying over Javier's head.

" _Alright alright, no worries. I've got it covered. But sencha green tea would be great right now, thanks. And then can you do the kittens tonight? Feed them and put them away Yuzu."_

"Hai!" Javier, too preoccupied with trying to balance the five cats sitting on him, only paid attention to the sound of the kettle starting to boil. Soon, the young man came back into the room with three mugs balanced on a tray along with a little milk jug and sugar pot with a silvery spoon. He stopped by Javier and handed him a mug decorated with different shades of blue and white swirled together in ripples to rival the swirls in the sky of The Starry Night. Javier stared, almost transfixed, at the other's hand. His fingers were long and elegant, as if crafted carefully by a deity, and his nails were painted with a gradient from dark blue nearer the cuticles to white nearer the ends of his hands. They were flecked with a light covering of gold sparkles, and they almost matched the mug. He was so distracted, he almost forgot to take the mug.

"T-thank you," he stuttered out, looking up at the other only to look away once he caught his eyes. The other smiled a little at the pale pink blush that dusted over Javier's cheeks.

"Milk and sugar?" he asked as he adjusted the other two mugs on the tray to offer him the small jug and pot.

"U-uh, no, I'm good thanks," Javier said gently, and the other raised an eyebrow at him.

"You drink it black?"

He handed the black and white checked mug to someone behind Javier, and he turned to take a better look. Another Japanese man was standing behind him, with the same red apron on. Instead of straight black hair, he had brown curled hair. Instead of nearly black eyes, his were a rich, deep brown. His smile was a little more of a smirk, and he wasn't quite as slender as the first. He had on a plain grey jumper underneath his apron, and his nails weren't painted but were still clean cut and well taken care of.

"Yeah, it's better," Javier finally answered the question when he got himself out of observing mode again. The two other men exchanged a look, and Javier cleared his throat. "So, uh, which of you is Keiji?"

The man in grey sipped from his mug and waved his hand. "That would be me. I'm Keiji. Keiji Tanaka. This is my friend and coworker Yuzuru."

Yuzuru bowed his head lightly and drank from his own purple sparkly mug, smiling as the tea warmed him from the inside. Javier nodded, sipping at his coffee with a satisfied smile, before he spoke up himself.

"I'm Javier. Nice to meet you guys. I work at Stephane's Sweets when I'm not studying at college."

"Oh?" Yuzuru sat down on the sofa next to him as Keiji shut up the front of the shop and then joined them, sitting opposite the pair, "what are you studying?"

"History," Javier said softly into his mug, almost shyly, "yeah, history major and I'm doing languages on the side."

"What languages?" Keiji asked, tilting his head at the other as he kept sipping at his tea.

"Spanish and Japanese, but I help out with the English course too."

"The English course," Keiji raised an eyebrow at Yuzuru as a sly smirk blossomed across his face, "isn't that the language course you're doing along side your degree?"

Yuzuru glared at him before he sighed, sipping at his tea to hide his blushing face. Javier looked between the pair.

"So, are you two together?"

Yuzuru choked on his tea and Keiji burst out laughing. Javier again looked between them in confusion.

"What's so funny?" He asked quietly.

When Keiji had calmed down enough to stop laughing, he took a calming sip of tea before he spoke. "Yuzu is like my brother, Javier. I could never date him, never! Besides, he's a pain in the ass really."

"Keiji's worse than I am," Yuzuru said indignantly. "I could absolutely never ever date him! I'd rather die!"

"Dramatic much?" Keiji gave him a pointed look. "Now, Javier--"

"Just Javi is fine, please."

"Javi," Keiji said softly, "so you're doing history, huh? Plans for after?"

"Hopefully teaching," Javier couldn't help but smile as the cats in his lap shifted and curled up towards him, "but honestly I don't know. I'd love to be a teacher."

"Well, if you need help with Japanese, one of us is happy to teach you," Keiji offered before he checked the time and sighed, pushing himself to his feet. "I study world literature. If you see me on campus, say hi sometime yeah? Or come and see me here. And Yuzu and I are both happy to help you with Japanese if you need."

"Thanks," Javier smiled at him brightly as Keiji handed Yuzuru his mug and flitted around, doing more work with the cats. The younger took it with a sigh before he settled down more on the sofa, "so, what do you study Yuzuru?"

"Human informatics and cognitive science," Yuzuru said with a small sigh, "basically psychology, statistics, and mathematics. Oh, and English courses as well because mine is...." He gestured slightly wildly, "not very good at the moment."

"It doesn't sound that bad," Javier promised, "I've heard a lot worse, and isn't it meant to be one of the hardest languages for Japanese people to learn?"

Yuzuru shrugged. " _Efforts will lie but they will ever be in vain_ ," he mumbled to himself in Japanese before he swapped back to English. "It can be a lot better."

"I'd be happy to tutor you in English?" Javier offered, "since Keiji said you'd help me with Japanese and everything?"

"You'd do that?" Yuzuru asked, looking over the top of his mug with a smile. "You'd really do that?"

Javier nodded, and a bright smile blossomed across Yuzuru's face. He dug around into the pocket of his jeans and smiled as he unlocked his phone and held it out.

"Add your number. Then we can arrange a study session sometime."

Javier couldn't help but smile as he fought with Yuzuru's phone to swap the Japanese keyboard to the English one he had installed when he first started learning. When he finally got it to cooperate, he entered his name and number. Yuzuru took the phone and smiled, typing away before Javier felt a buzz in his pocket. He checked and, sure enough, there was a message that came through.

_Hi!_ _ヽ(_ _・∀・)_ _ﾉ_ _私_ _の_ _なめ_ _わ_ _羽生結弦_ _です_

Javier chuckled lightly before he sighed and moved the cats carefully off him, standing up. "I guess I should get going. Looks like the rain has died down a bit and I can get home."

"Do you want me to call you a cab?" he asked softly. "I can get you one if you'd like?"

"I can walk," Javier said as he shrugged on his still damp black coat, "but thank you though Yuzuru."

"Text me!" Yuzuru said with a smile as he scooped up as many cats as he could in his arms and carried them to their beds, where none stayed put. He waved with one hand, stroking the head of the little kitten sitting in his apron pocket with the other hand, "Bye Javi-san!"

Javier waved back to him before he stepped back out into the rain. Even through the intense downpour, nothing could wipe the smile off Javier's face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I hate this course work with a passion," Javier groaned as he threw his textbook across the table, "damn course work. Damn Spanish civil war. Damn all of it."
> 
> "You chose the topic. Could have done it on Canada's history, but no. You chose the Spanish civil war."
> 
> "Shut up Patrick," Javier snapped, "you're passionate about Canada, and I'm passionate about Spain. But neither of us is passionate about course work."

"I hate this course work with a passion," Javier groaned as he threw his textbook across the table, "damn course work. Damn Spanish civil war. Damn all of it."

"You chose the topic. Could have done it on Canada's history, but no. You chose the Spanish civil war."

"Shut up Patrick," Javier snapped, "you're passionate about Canada, and I'm passionate about Spain. But neither of us is passionate about course work."

"True," Patrick flicked through his own textbook with a sigh, "but I think I'm losing my passion very quickly just from having to study it."

"That's why you've got to pick something that you really love. Cause being forced to write a five thousand word essay on it, in my case in my second language, really tests how much you love something."

"Amen to that," Patrick reached over the table and picked up Javier's textbook, "but you've not got much longer, so back to it. Come on. Tell me a story."

Javier rolled his eyes. "Once upon a time, in a little country called Spain, there--"

"Javi?"

Both Javier and Patrick looked up and Javier's eyes widened. Standing there, with a to go cup of tea in his hand, still with blue painted nails, and sleek black square glasses resting on his nose and ears, as unmistakably Yuzuru. His black bag sat on one shoulder, and he had a thick textbook resting in one arm. Similar to their first meeting, Yuzuru was in another soft jumper and black jeans; the jumper this time was just plain white. He shyly lowered his eyes and half smiled down at his textbook.

"Yuzuru?" Javier asked, face breaking out into a smile. "Hey, how are you doing?" He moved his bag off one of the free chairs at his and Patrick's table, inviting the other to sit down. "Everything okay?"

Yuzuru slipped into the seat easily, setting down his mug and textbook as he ignored Patrick's confused looked between him and Javier. "I've been good, thank you. And you?"

"Yeah, not bad. Just suffering from course work." Javier gestured to his and Patrick's notes that were spread across the circular work table.

"Course... work?"

"Work you do throughout the year before you have your exams," Patrick explained before he held out a hand. "Patrick Chan. I'm friends with Javier."

"Hanyu Yuzuru." He shook his hand lightly before he turned all his attention onto Javier instead. "Keiji has been asking after you. Wondering when you'll come back, because the cats seem to like you. And I agree. I think the calico that you had resting on you has fallen in love with you."

Javier laughed, closing his textbook on the history of Spain. "I wish I was allowed a cat, but the landlord says no. Patrick tried to sneak in a guinea pig but they found it and made him get rid of it."

"I'm glad that Kaetlyn's landlords let her have pets, otherwise poor Toupee would have been homeless."

Yuzuru wrinkled his nose at Patrick in a mix of confusion and disgust. "You named your pig Toupee?"

"Guinea pig. Not a pig." Patrick said sharply. "They're different. More fluffy."

"ん," Yuzuru made the noise to indicate that he was listening to Patrick before he turned back to Javier, "You're always welcome to come and play with the cats if you'd like. An old lady came in the other day and adopted three of them! Three! I bet the poor lady is lonely and wants some company so that's why she adopted the cats, and--"

"And Javi and I have deadlines coming up soon," Patrick cut in, "so, if you'd please let us focus, that would be great. You're welcome to stay sitting with us, but please be quiet."

Yuzuru blinked at him in confusion before he turned back to Javier, firmly ignoring Patrick. "Are you free this weekend? I have an English assignment due and I'm really struggling. And Keiji can't really help me with it because he's swamped with literature deadlines."

"He's not free," Patrick cut in before Javier could speak up, "because he has his own deadlines to worry about."

"Hey," Javier said softly, "it's alright Patrick. I've nearly finished the essay anyway."

Patrick looked at his textbook and the empty notebook sitting next to it before he fixed Javier with a stern glare. "You sure about that? You don't have to be so selfless just for some other guy you don't really know, just because you feel bad for him."

Yuzuru looked between them before he sighed, pushing back the chair and standing up. "Nice to see you again Javi. And nice to meet you Patrick."

"Wait, Yuzu--"

"It's okay," he said with a quiet smile, "see you soon, okay?"

"Yeah, see you soon," he nodded. "Text me, okay?"

"Will do," Yuzuru waved. "Thanks Javi."

Javier watched as Yuzuru went, weaving between people in the library cafe as he made his way to the door with almost practiced ease. Patrick rolled his eyes he saw how Javier's eyes were firmly fixed on Yuzuru and not on his work.

"Oh for God's sake, do you have a crush on him? Javi, come on. He's not that pretty."

"I don't!" Javier defended quickly, blush rising up his neck and face until it reached the tips of his ears. "I just met him on the way back from work, in that cat place I was telling you about, and he was there and he let me have coffee with him and pet cats until the rain lessened a little."

"So your love can be bought with a cat and a cup of coffee?" Patrick raised an eyebrow at him, "Wow Javier. That's so bad. I know you were torn up after--"

"Don't," Javier groaned as he held his face in his hands, "he's just pretty, alright?"

"If you're into that," Patrick wrinkled his nose before he tapped his pen on Javier's notebook, "now get back to your work. If you're going to have a coffee study date with your little boyfriend, then you need to do your work now before hand."

"He's not my boyfriend!" Javier snapped. " _Vete a la mierda_."

"No idea what you just said, but I'm pretty sure at least one of those words means shit."

Javier rolled his eyes before he smacked Patrick with his Spanish History textbook. He then opened it up and picked his pen back up, starting to properly take notes on his chosen subject.

_Javi: You free on Saturday?_

_Yuzu: I have a shift until 3pm. You free?_

_Javi: I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't. How does 4pm sound?_

_Yuzu: Great! Where?_

_Javi: Stephane's Sweets? I can vouch for their strawberry cupcakes._

_Yuzu:_ _はい (*^_ _‿^*)_

* * *

"You're in a good mood," Stephane raised an eyebrow at him as Javier hummed, cleaning the coffee machine. "Care to elaborate as to why?"

"Oh, no reason," Javier said lightly before he gave his boss a sunny smile, "no reason whatsoever. It's just a good day, or at least that's how it feels to me right now. Today will be a good day!"

"Well, does your good day involve taste testing something for me?" Stephane held out a tray of strawberry flapjacks. "Try these for me, please? I need to know if they're good enough to sell. Is there enough syrup in these? Are they too flaky and crumbly? I need your opinion Javi!"

Javier took one and tried it with half a smile. "They're honestly great Stephane! Oh, you could absolutely sell these."

Stephane nodded, not really listening to Javier as he thought to himself. "How about I ask the next few customers what they taste like?"

"Sounds good," Javier nodded before an idea popped into his head. "Actually, I know someone who is coming soon likes strawberries. Can you save one for him?"

Stephane looked at him for a second before a small smirk blossomed across his face slowly. "Oh? You know someone who is coming soon? And who is he, Javi? A special someone that I should know about?"

Javier cursed his complexion and how ridiculously easily he blushed. He hated how his ears turned pink from embarrassment, and the knowing smirk that Stephane Lambiel had on his face just made him blush harder. Javier sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with a small sigh.

"He's a friend, Stephane. I said I would help him with his English work, cause he's Japanese and trying to learn." Javier shrugged as he started washing up some of the used coffee and tea cups, "so yeah, I said I'd help him, cause I know how hard it is to start English as a second language."

"Aww, that's cute," Stephane teased as he plated up several of the flapjacks. "Now I just need to find a boyfriend for Deniss."

"I heard that!" Deniss shouted from the backroom. "I don't need a boyfriend! I'm great by myself! I don't need anyone!"

"Sure you don't," Stephane replied with a shake of his head, "except you have a new celebrity as your phone background every single day and you coo over him, and pine like a Christmas tree."

"I don't need you to find me a boyfriend, Stephane! I can find one by myself, I promise. And you always pick such weird guys from my high school. I don't want one of the weird football players. They're gross."

Stephane sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically. "Ungrateful children. All of you. I work so hard for all of you and this is how you repay me? Hot chocolate privileges are removed for a week Deniss!"

"No!" Deniss whined, poking his head out from the back. "Javi, save me! Javi! Make them for me! Javi!"

"Sorry," Javier checked the time and laughed, "my shift just ended, and I have a study da--." He stopped himself quickly, cheeks turning pink. "Study session. I have a study session. I'll be working again tomorrow, promise."

"Sure Javi, enjoy," Stephane wiggled his eyebrows with a smile, "we'll be here for you the whole time, watching to make sure that everything goes perfectly."

"Of course you will," Javier untied his apron just as the bell above the door rang.

Yuzuru stepped into the coffee shop, looking the cutest he'd ever looked. A soft, too long, dark blue jumper covered most of his hands, and his painted nails just poked out the end of the sleeves. Again, he had on the tightest jeans Javier had ever seen before; they looked almost like they were painted on. A striped shirt collar poked out from the top of his jumper, and he had on his glasses again. He adjusted the bag on his back and smiled shyly again when he spotted Javier, blush spreading out across his nose.

"Hey," Javi said with a smile as he came around the other end of the counter to him, "you okay? You look nice."

"You do too," Yuzuru said before he looked up at the menu, "what do you recommend?"

"Well, coffee," Yuzuru wrinkled his nose at Javier's response as the other laughed, "but we have many good select teas that you can try if you want? Green tea, lemon tea, ginger tea, matcha, rose tea, cranberry tea, raspberry tea, English breakfast tea--"

"Green tea please," Yuzuru ordered to Stephane who smiled at him.

"Can I tempt you with something sweet?" Stephane gestured to the cupcakes and other sweet treats placed in the glass cabinet. "Javi tells me you like strawberries."

Yuzuru blushed and bit his lip and looked down, sending Javier's heart into flutters. "I do, yeah," he said with a little smile.

"Excellent!" Stephane all but threw the little plate of flapjack across the counter to him, "Javi asked me to save this for you, and I'm trying to get people to taste test it. Tell me what you think, yeah?"

Yuzuru started to get out his wallet to pay, but Javier smoothly stepped in front of him. "Black Americano and a chocolate chip cookie," he ordered smoothly to Stephane.

"On the house," Stephane waved him off to one of the corner tables, "Deniss will bring everything over in a second. Make yourselves comfortable. I'd suggest that you go to the corner booth with the sofas; it's more comfy."

"Thank you," Yuzuru bowed his head to Stephane before he followed Javier to the table. It was secluded and tucked into the corner, away from everyone else and with enough privacy to let them study in peace together. They settled down and Yuzuru pulled his notes and textbook out.

"So, what do you need help with exactly?" Javier asked, leaning on his elbows on the table.

Yuzuru chewed his lip and smiled, opening up the textbook. "I have to translate this passage from Japanese to English by next week. But I'm so stuck on it. I can't understand the meaning. Can you help?"

"My Japanese is very limited," Javier said with sheepish smile, "but I'll try my best. What bit exactly do you need help with?" He glanced at Yuzuru's notes and half smiled. "What are these?"

"My notes," Yuzuru said with a small sigh, "I roughly translated each bit, but I'm struggling so much with the word order and the verbs and everything like that."

"Ahh," Javier smiled lightly before he got out his own notebook. "I can help you with this. Verb conjugations are a bit of _una problema_."

Yuzuru's eyes widened and he gasped, smiling. "Spanish?"

Javier nodded, smiling still at Yuzuru. "Yeah. I'm from Spain, so I'm fluent."

"Of course, you said you're studying it more in depth aren't you? That's so cool." Yuzuru leaned his head on his hand and smiled. "Spanish is beautiful. Sounds like music, especially when Javi-san says it."

Javier once again silently cursed his complexion and the way he easily started blushing. He sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck shyly, before he was half saved by Deniss.

"One cup of green tea," he set it down in front of Yuzuru, "one evil drink of death," he set the Americano down in front of Javier, "one strawberry flapjack," he passed it to Yuzuru along with a fork, "one chocolate chip cookie for the idiot," he handed it to Javier, and he then took the last plate off the tray, "and one slice of strawberry shortcake for you two to share."

"We didn't order that," Javier said, confusion seeping into his voice. Deniss winked at him.

"On the house, by order of Stephane Lambiel himself. And uh, you've gone a little pink Javi. Everything okay?"

"Oh, shut up," Javier hissed before he sighed and smiled. "See you around Deniss."

"See you! And nice to meet you Yuzuru."

Yuzuru watched Deniss rush back to join Stephane behind the counter with a little smile and a chuckle. "Friend of yours?"

"Yeah," Javier smiled. "Well, more like coworker, but yeah. He's one of my best friends really. I like him a lot. He's chilled out and fun to work with."

Yuzuru nodded. "Wish I had more people like that," he said quietly to himself.

Javier tilted his head at the man sitting across from him in confusion. "Pardon?"

"O-Oh, nothing," he said quickly before he picked up his pen and notebook again. "So, sentence structures and verb conjugations."

* * *

Yuzuru and Javier waved goodbye to each other with half a smile before they parted outside the shop. Yuzuru paused, turning around to stop and watch as he saw Javier walking away from him. It was really weird how much of a knot his stomach was in, how many butterflies were fluttering away in there, and how important Javier was to him. He'd felt it in the university library when he'd seen Javier out of the blue, and he'd felt it in the coffee shop. Javier really was someone else, and, if Yuzuru was being honest, he was scared. As he watched Javier's retreating figure head away from him, away from the coffee shop, and into the distance.

 _How has he become so important to me so fast?_ he thought to himself as he walked through the rain, hiding under the safety of his pale blue umbrella. The odd car drove past him, sending tiny waves towards him from the puddles in the road. Yuzuru didn't even notice them. He kept walking and sighed, breath condensing in front of him, before he stopped dead in the middle of the street.

_Is this love?_

"You're home late," Keiji said quietly as he stirred the pot on the hob, looking over his shoulder at Yuzuru as he tucked his umbrella in the stand and set down his bag. "Yuzu?"

Yuzuru looked at him with wide eyes behind the frames of his glasses. Keiji tilted his head at him, confusion melting away to just concern. "Are you okay? Has something happened?"

"Keiji," Yuzuru said quietly, "Keiji, how on earth do you tell if you're in love with someone?"

Keiji blinked at him before he laughed. "Oh Yuzu, you had me so worried there for a moment. You really had me worried there. You can tell you're in love when... when they make you feel special. When they make you smile in a way that no one else does. When they make butterflies appear in your stomach. When it's so easy to talk to them. When everything about them just makes your heart soar. I think," Keiji hummed as he checked on the rice in the rice cooker, "I think you know best when you love someone, Yuzuru, no? I think only you really know when someone makes you feel like that. I think only you can tell if you're in love. Now, set the table for me?"

As Yuzuru set out their chopsticks, and as they ate their rice, miso soup, and gyoza together in a comfortable silence, his mind wandered.

_Am I in love with Javi?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rain, it seemed, did not want to lessen anytime soon. For a solid week, the rain had been torrential

The rain, it seemed, did not want to lessen anytime soon. For a solid week, the rain had been torrential. For someone who enjoyed being warm and in his bed as much as Javier did, the rain was possibly the worst thing for someone like him. He had to force himself to get up and go to his university classes, persuading himself by reminding himself of how much he was paying to be there. He only just made it to work several times, not that Stephane ever really minded that much. The cafe was like a safe haven for him where he could enjoy being warm, enjoy laughing with Deniss and Stephane, and he wasn't being crushed by horrible deadlines and confusing work.

The weather only really damped Javier's already low mood, however. It felt like something really was missing from his life, and he couldn't place what it was.

Or, well, he was more ignoring the reason why. He was doing his best to dance around it, to ignore it, to pretend that everything was fine.

But feelings left ignored or unchecked, as Javier discovered, had a nasty habit of rearing up when was least convenient.

"See you guys tomorrow!" Javi said with a smile as he pulled his hood up and stepped out into the rain.

The moment Stephane and Deniss could no longer see him, the smile fell as if it had been washed off by the rain itself. As Javier trudged back towards his apartment, he looked up towards the sky. Raindrops fell onto his cheeks, running down them like tears as they ran down the sides, soaking into the neck of his hoodie. He stopped, chewing his lip, before he turned around and started walking the other way.

"Hi, welcome to Keiji's Kats," Keiji said, leaning on the counter as he flipped through a manga and didn't look up, "please feel free to look around for a while and play with the cats, okay? Build a relationship with them, and--"

"Keiji," Keiji looked up, eyes widening at Javier, "where is Yuzuru?"

"Yuzu? He's upstairs, why?"

"He's not been returning my messages," Javier said softly, "and he's stopped asking for help with English. I'm worried about him. I never see him on campus anymore, and this is the only place I could think to look for him."

Keiji sighed, standing up as he gestured for Javier to follow him. "This way. I'll go and get him for you. Just stay in here, and I'll get you a coffee as well."

Javier settled on the sofa, almost uncomfortably, as the same calico as before crawled up into his lap. He petted her lightly, fingertips running through her fur almost idly. He bit his lip hard when he felt someone sit next to him. The jasmine and citrus scent was enough to tell him who it was. Yuzuru sat still and stiff, almost like a board, and Javier swallowed before he spoke up.

"Have I upset you?" he asked gently.

Yuzuru's head snapped to the side, eyes wide in confusion and almost fear, as he met Javier's eyes for the first time. Javier couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the tears gathering in Yuzuru's deep, expressive eyes, and he immediately moved to pull the other into a gentle hug.

"Yuzu? Yuzu? _Quierdo, carino,_ just talk to me. What's happened?"

Yuzuru burst into tears and held onto Javier almost for dear life. He buried his face in Javier's shoulder, sobbing and wailing.

"You haven't done anything wrong," he choked out, sniffling to himself, "you-you never do anything wrong because you're beautiful and forgiving and genuine, a-and so sweet. I-I...." He bit his lip hard, "I-It's my fault. Shouldn't have cut you off."

Javier stroked the back of his head and then paused, lips nearly brushing the crown of Yuzuru's head. "It's okay," he said gently, "I understand. Something happened, right?"

Yuzuru nodded, and Javier smiled to himself. "You know you can always talk to me about anything that happens, right? I'll always be here for you. I'll always be here to listen to you. I promise."

_"Why are you asking me about love so much?" Keiji shrugged as he cut up some nori for them. "Are you in love?"_

_"I think so," Yuzuru whispered more to himself than to Keiji, "I-I think I love him. I just... what if he hates me for it? How do I know he loves me too?"_

_"Well, there can be lots of things that show that someone really loves you, you know?" Keiji glanced at the other. "I mean, if they laugh with you, that can be a sign that they love you? If they touch you a lot, that can be a sign that they love you? Um... If they want to spend time with you, that can be a sign that they love you, and especially if they make time for you! Like, they're swamped with other work, but somehow they can fit you in too?"_

"I-I.... I-I... I-I think...." Yuzuru took in a deep breath before he smiled against the grey fabric of Javier's jumper. " _D-Daisuki da yo, Javi-san."_

Javier half smiled at him before he shook Yuzuru lightly. "My Japanese isn't very good, Yuzu. You've got to help me out here a bit. Please?"

Yuzuru nodded, raising a hand to wipe his eyes before he shifted closer to Javier. The calico between them wiggled out and raced off across the floor as Yuzuru cleared his throat and then whispered to him.

"I-I think I love you," he whispered.

Javier's heart stopped for a moment. He then couldn't help but smile to himself as he placed a little kiss on the crown of Yuzuru's head. "You do?"

Yuzuru nodded, sitting up so he could meet Javier's eyes properly. He held onto the other's shoulders as words and tears both started to spill from him.

"I-I've never been in love before," he blurted, "o-or... not proper love. Like, I used to think I loved people but they didn't really. I've never felt like this." He rubbed over his chest, sniffing. "I can feel it right here. When I'm near you, when I'm studying with you, when I think of you, my heart speeds up and I-I.... I can't help but smile. I-I can't help but want to be with you, Javi. This is the first time I've ever really felt like this. The only time I've ever felt like this. A-And that scared me. I've never felt so vulnerable before, so... exposed I guess." He lowered his eyes and Javier carefully cupped his chin, raising it so he couldn't break their eye contact. "I-I just... I didn't know what to do so I hid. Like a coward, I guess, but it's all I could think to do. Still, hiding means I can't deny that I really do love you, Javi."

Javier cupped both his cheeks and pulled Yuzuru closer to him. He kissed his cheek lightly before he wiped at his own eyes. "You had me so worried for a second there that I'd upset you," he whispered. "Yuzu, I feel the same way. You've just.... I enjoy spending time with you, and I just love being around you. Everything you do makes my heart flutter, and being away from you for so long has just made everything feel so much more empty almost. I need you here with me, Yuzu, I really do."

Yuzuru threw himself into the other's arms and kissed his cheeks with a bright smile. "S-so.... So we're..."

"Oh, right, we should do this properly shouldn't we?" Javier laughed to himself before he held both Yuzuru's hands. "Yuzuru Hanyu, _quierdo_ , will you make me the happiest man at this university, no, in the world, by doing me the honour of being my boyfriend? _Mi novio?"_

Yuzuru giggled and nodded, hugging him tightly. "Yes!" he said with a sunshine smile that lit up his face like how the rising of the sun broke through the darkness of the night. "Javi, yes!"

"Can I kiss you?" Javier whispered, hands resting on Yuzuru's waist, "please Yuzu, can I kiss you?"

"Please," Yuzuru whispered back, hands resting on the back of Javier's neck.

Javier leaned in towards him and smiled. Yuzuru matched him with the gesture and leaned in too, eyes fluttering closed. One hand of Javier's slid up and cupped Yuzuru's cheek before his eyes too closed.

It was almost like a moment from a film or a story. Their lips met and the pair somehow knew how to move against each other. Especially for Yuzuru, who had never kissed anyone before, Javier's touches and movements were encouraging. Their heads tilted as their lips moved against each other. Javier's tongue teased the seam of Yuzuru's lips, and the other parted them for him, battling for dominance with him.

"As cute as this is," both Yuzuru and Javier flew apart to see Keiji standing there with his hands on his hips, "I need to close this place up. You can leave, Yuzuru's new boyfriend Javier, or you can stay for dinner if you would like?"

* * *

Yuzuru, as Javier found out, was banned from the kitchen. His job instead was to lay the table and set everything up for them. Keiji was in charge of cooking, and Javier's job was to entertain Yuzuru and stop him irritating the living hell out of Keiji as he tried to cook.

"What are you making?" Javier asked curiously.

"Oh, katsu chicken and some rice. Something easy, cause I think everyone's been dying at the moment and there's no need to complicate everything. That alright for you?"

"Sounds perfect," Javier said with a smile as he carried bowls and plates through to the dining room table that Yuzuru had laid out, "and wow, this looks really good too. I can't wait to try it!"

"Finally, someone who appreciates my cooking," Keiji glared at Yuzuru, "don't you think?"

"Oh, shush," Yuzuru stuck his tongue at him with a sigh, "I would cook for myself, but--"

"But I'd rather we didn't lose our security deposit because you set the damn place on fire. You set off the smoke alarm making toast, Yuzu. Toast!"

"Oh sure, yeah, talk shit about me in front of my boyfriend," he pouted before he clasped his hands together. "It _adakimasu!"_

"I can because I made it," Keiji said with a grin before he turned to Javier. "So, what makes you want to date my moronic friend here?"

"He just... makes me happy," Javier said with a goofy grin, "and after not having him for a few weeks, I missed him so much that I just... Can't imagine not having him with me. You know what I mean?"

"Awww," Keiji smiled before he kicked Yuzuru under the table, "I think you got yourself a good one this time Yuzu. Handsome, smart, speaks fluent Spanish~."

Yuzuru kicked him back just as hard, blushing bright red. "Keiji! I told you that cause I trusted you!"

Keiji stuck his tongue out at him, and Javier looked between the pair with a sigh. "Is this a Japanese joke I don't get or something?"

"Oh, well," Keiji dodged the knife thrown at his face easily as he kept speaking, "you see, Yuzu loves foreign languages. Like, he adores the sound of them. Especially Spanish. The sound of the language just makes him..."

"If you end that sentence, I will end you." Yuzuru threatened.

"Whatever," Keiji rolled his eyes before he turned to Javier, "so Javi, how has life been treating you?"

"Things could be a lot worse I guess," he said with a little shrug, "I mean, I submitted my history coursework on the Spanish civil war and got ninety percent for it, so that's good? And I've been working at the cafe a lot too for extra cash cause life is hard hitting. Student life and expenses, you know?"

"Oh, we understand," Keiji said with a firm nod, "don't we Yuzu?"

"Yeah," Yuzuru nodded, rubbing the back of his neck, "what else happened Javi? How's Stephane and Deniss? And Patrick?"

Javier couldn't help but laugh. "Deniss is still fighting with Stephane about getting a boyfriend. Stephane is still basically the dad of everyone still in the cafe. And Patrick...." He grinned sheepishly at Yuzuru over his rice. "Patrick blames you for the ten percent I lost on my assignment."

Yuzuru rolled his eyes. "Is he always this mean to me?"

"I just think you two had a bad meeting, that's all," he said with a slight chuckle, "and I'm sure if you spent more time together then you'd really get to like each other more."

"I don't know. Yuzu really does have a way with people. And by that I mean he really does rub people up the wrong way sometimes."

"Oh shut up Keiji," Yuzuru hissed as he stood, cleaning up the table and taking the bowls and utensils through to the kitchen. "I'll befriend Javi's friend Patrick. For him."

"I'm studying with him next week in the library cafe again?" Javier suggested. "Want to join us? That'll be a great time for you and Patrick to get along and bond!"

* * *

Bonding was not exactly what they did. Yuzuru sat on one side of the table, next to Javier, and Patrick sat on the other side, glaring at him. Yuzuru wrote up notes on human informatics, humming quietly to himself as he leaned on Javier's shoulder. Javier gave little kisses to his cheek occasionally with a smile as they worked in near silence side by side. Javier flicked through his own Spanish textbook, translating long passages of it into English. Patrick, however, slammed his textbook shut and glared at Yuzuru.

"Stop distracting him!"

Yuzuru looked up from his work and blinked at Patrick in shock. He sighed lightly and tilted his head at him. "Pardon? You are talking to me?"

"Yes I'm talking to you," he said with a shake of his head, "stop distracting Javier as he's trying to work. He needs to pass his classes, and you've already lost him ten percent on an assignment before. Soon it'll go from ten percent to twenty, to thirty, and then he'll have failed. So quit distracting him by throwing yourself on him and at him at all times. Clear?"

"As far as I can see, Patrick, you are the one who is doing the most distracting. We were all working perfectly well together, and you broke the silence and distracted all of us. You broke my train of thought and, unlike your history degree, human informatics and cognitive science constantly changes with new developments."

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Patrick seethed, eyes narrowing at Yuzuru. "Are you really so arrogant as to say that your degree is more important than mine and Javier's?"

"Patrick, I'm sure that's not what he's saying," Javier tried, squeezing Yuzuru's hand. "Does anyone want a drink? I'm thinking I need another coffee."

"Green tea please," Yuzuru smiled at him and kissed his cheek, "thank you."

"Yes, thanks Javier," Patrick fiddled with his pen, "a cappuccino please."

As Javier left the table, Yuzuru finally approached the problem. He looked at Patrick firmly and sighed at him. "Why do you hate me so much Patrick?"

"Because I've been Javier's friend for years," he said firmly, leaning back in his chair, "and I've been the shoulder he's cried on for years. I was there for him when his last girlfriend ditched him, after being as sweet as anything to him before. She had his heart, and she threw it away and crushed it basically. I will absolutely not let you do the same thing to him, clear? Javier, for some reason, cannot resist your looks and your face, but I can. I don't care about you in any way, shape or form. I care about Javi, and, if you hurt him, I will hurt you. Clear?"

"As crystal," Yuzuru said with a sigh before he opened up his textbook, "but we are dating. So you've kind of got to get used to us kissing and holding hands and everything like that."

"Aren't Japanese people meant to not do public displays of affection? Isn't it rude there?"

"But we're not there, are we?" Yuzuru raised an eyebrow at him. "We're in Canada aren't we? So we're somewhere where it's almost encouraged. I thought you'd know that, since you're Canadian and all."

Patrick's eye twitched, and it was only Javier returning that cut through the tension of their discussion. Javier handed them their drinks as well as a chocolate brownie for Patrick, a cookie for himself, and a slice of strawberry cheesecake for Yuzuru.

"You're honestly the best Javi," Yuzuru said as he kissed his cheek lightly, "I owe you more than anything."

"I love you too," Javier whispered before he opened up his textbook and smiled at both Yuzuru and Patrick, "back to studying guys? Two more hours of hard work and then we can finish up?"

"Sounds good," Yuzuru nodded, swapping his informatics book for his English textbook and dictionary, "talk to you both again in a few hours!"

* * *

After three more hours of hard work, the trio finally called it a day. Patrick, after giving Javier a hug and Yuzuru another sharp glare, parted from them, and Javier slid his hand into Yuzuru's.

"Want to go out somewhere nice for dinner?" Yuzuru asked. "My treat since you bought the tea and coffee and cake and everything earlier."

Javier placed a light kiss on his cheek. "Sounds amazing. Let's go somewhere together, okay?"

And so, after a meal at an Italian restaurant with both of them feeding the other little bites of their own pasta dishes, they walked home hand in hand. They parted under the streetlight next to Yuzuru's home where Javier gave him a light kiss before they finally parted. Yuzuru watched him go with a goofy smile before he finally unlocked his door and headed inside.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As winter moved into spring, Yuzuru and Javier stayed together. They both decided to stay in Canada over the Christmas break together, and Keiji cooked a traditional Christmas meal for the three of them. Yuzuru found the stupid corny cracker jokes hilarious and wore his crinkly purple hat for the rest of the day, long after the others had taken theirs off.

As winter moved into spring, Yuzuru and Javier stayed together. They both decided to stay in Canada over the Christmas break together, and Keiji cooked a traditional Christmas meal for the three of them. Yuzuru found the stupid corny cracker jokes hilarious and wore his crinkly purple hat for the rest of the day, long after the others had taken theirs off. He and Javier curled up with one of the cats from downstairs sitting on each of their laps, and Keiji popped his head out of the kitchen as he plated up leftovers.

"Oh yeah, Shoma said he's visiting next week."

"Shoma?" Yuzuru looked up with a smile. "I didn't know he was planning to come over here for a bit."

"Apparently he's looking at universities, and wants to stay with us for a bit. Hope you don't mind."

"Why would I mind? We get to see Shoma again soon!"

Javier looked between them, asking silently for an explanation. Yuzuru and Keiji exchanged a look, and Yuzuru shifted with the cat on his lap.

"Basically," Yuzuru said with a little laugh, "Shoma is a friend of ours from back home. He's a little bit younger than both of us, and we like him. I think you'd like him."

Javier didn't come with Yuzuru and Keiji when they picked up Shoma from the airport, but Yuzuru had invited him to come over to dinner afterwards. Keiji was planning a feast to welcome Shoma's arrival, and Yuzuru said that there would be more than enough food for Javier to join them too. And so, after his shift at the cafe, he walked through the January snow along the street to Yuzuru's home. Javier knocked on the door and smiled when Yuzuru opened it up with a fluffy calico in his arms.

"Hi," Javier looped an arm around his waist and pulled Yuzuru in for a little kiss before he took the cat from his arms. "And how's my favourite little princess Effie doing?"

She mewed and nuzzled up against Javier's neck, purring quietly, and Yuzuru couldn't help but glow with happiness. "I think she likes you."

"I think she does too," Javier said with a nod as Yuzuru stepped aside to let him in. He toed off his shoes and slipped on the slippers Yuzuru had assigned to him. The passed through the room of cats, all of who mewed at both of them, and headed to the stairs together. Javier kept one hand on Yuzuru's lower back as he supported the cat with his other hand. They finally made it to the main part of the apartment, and Yuzuru smiled.

"Javi's here! _Shoma! Stop hiding in your room, you hobbit, and come and meet my boyfriend_!"

Out of the guest bedroom, another man Javier had never seen before stuck his head out. Like Keiji, he too hard brown curly hair. He also had deep brown eyes like the others, but he was significantly shorter than Javier and Yuzuru. He was athletic, but almost Yuzuru's exact opposite. Where Yuzuru was like a willow branch or a bird: thin, whispy, and slender, Shoma was shorter, stockier, and had more bulky muscle than Yuzuru. Yuzuru had lean muscle where Shoma had more of a bulk to him. And he looked exhausted. Huge bags sat under his eyes, and he yawned as soon as he saw Javier.

" _Konnichiwa,"_ Shoma mumbled, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand covered by his sleeve, " _watashi no namae wa Shoma desu."_

"He said he's Shoma," Yuzuru translated with a little giggle before he knocked on the kitchen door. "Want any help Keiji?"

"Shoo!" Keiji chased him out with a wooden spoon in his hands, "Get out Yuzuru! I have work to do and food to finish cooking! Shoo!"

Yuzuru rolled his eyes and sighed as he linked his hand with Javier's. "Come with me, please. I have to show you something."

Javier, almost curiously, followed after Yuzuru as the other led him back down the stairs into the main room of the cat adoption centre. He settled Javier on the sofa before he brought out a kitten and handed it to Javier.

"She's a cross breed and calico. She's very cute, and she was born a few days ago. I don't know why but I just couldn't name her. It felt wrong to try and name her, but I think you should be the one to name her, you know?"

Javier stroked the top of her furry head and both of them couldn't help but smile as she purred adorably and nuzzled against Javier's neck. "Belle. Short for _Belleza."_ Yuzuru snapped a photo on his phone and Javier pulled him down on the sofa next to him.

"That's cute," he mumbled as Yuzuru set it as his home screen, "but not as cute as you, _mi vida_."

Yuzuru flushed pink. "J-Javi," he whispered, "you should know that I find Spanish really really attractive. Especially when you speak it."

"Oh?" Javier cupped Yuzuru's cheek and tilted his head up. "Oh? You love it when I speak Spanish to you? Want me to speak more, _mi novio._ "

Yuzuru pulled him into a kiss, holding him close as they made out on the sofa together. Javier's tongue once again teased the seam of Yuzuru's lips, and he let the other in. It wasn't a submissive act, however; Yuzuru and Javier both battled for dominance. Belle slipped out of Javier's arms and the cats all scarpered, curling up in their cat bed as Yuzuru shifted to sit in Javier's lap, holding onto the other's shoulders as they continued to make out. One of Javier's hands slipped from Yuzuru's waist to cup his ass instead as he pulled Yuzuru closer to him. Yuzuru smirked against his lips and ran his fingers through Javier's curls as they continued making out, pausing briefly to catch their breaths before they would carry on. Javier's hand slipped under Yuzuru's shirt and jumper and he started to take both off when a sharp cough caused the pair to spring apart. Keiji was standing there, wooden spoon still in his hand, and he raised an eyebrow at the pair of them.

"I've made dinner, but if you'd rather eat each other, do it away from the cats. Poor things don't need to be traumatised. Do it in your room Yuzuru."

Yuzuru's entire face flushed bright pink as he scrambled to pull back down his jumper and shirt. Javier straightened his clothes with half a smile as Yuzuru climbed off him and smoothed out his clothes.

"S-sorry Keiji," he mumbled as they headed back upstairs together, "it was just small kisses that turned into big kisses that turned into..."

"Yes yes I'm sure," Keiji sighed, "now come on before all my cooking goes to waste. Move it!"

The food, Javier had to concede, was delicious. Keiji truly was a master when it came to cooking. Everything tasted phenomenal, and Javier soon ended up so stuffed full of food he felt like he could barely move. Like a stereotypical grandmother, Keiji insisted on piling up their plates high. He tried to force more and more food into them. Javier had to insist that no, he couldn't eat anymore, and Keiji insisted on boxing it up for him so he could take it with him. There were at least eight boxes of food, mostly meat based dishes, and Javier couldn't help but smile at how much he was being offered.

"So, Javier," Shoma said in quiet, slightly broken English, "you're Yuzuru's _kareshi_? How did that happen?"

"Long story," he said with half a smile, "but it's the best story because the ending, for now, is me and Yuzuru together."

"Why are you so sweet?" Yuzuru asked, moving Javier's curls off his forehead. "My sweet, perfect boyfriend."

"I could say the same to you," Javier kissed Yuzuru's cheek with a soft smile.

* * *

"Javi," Yuzuru sat down next to him in the library with a bright smile, "do you have anything to do this afternoon?"

Javier raised an eyebrow at him as he packed up his bag. "Nothing except crying over how stupid people in history were. Why, _mi vida_? Do you have something you want to do?"

Yuzuru waved two tickets in Javier's face and passed them to him with a little grin. "Well, guess who happened to find out that there's an ice hockey match today and who managed to get tickets to it!"

Javier's eyes widened in shock as he read them, gasping. "No way! Yuzu, no way! You're lying, right? These are fakes, right?"

"Nope!" Yuzuru grinned in pride and triumph. "They're real! And we have half an hour to walk there and take our seats together, and then we can watch and enjoy the match."

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" Javier stood and swept Yuzuru up into his arms. "Seriously, have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Once or twice," Yuzuru giggled as he tugged on Javier's hand. "Come on come on come on!"

"I thought you didn't like hockey?"

"But my Javi does, and I like making my Javi happy," Yuzuru kissed his cheek as they walked the road from their university to the arena together. "Making you happy makes me super happy, and at least they're balancing on skates? That's a start."

"Ah yes. Figure skating is infinitely better than hockey in your eyes, isn't it?"

Yuzuru laughed and nodded as they showed their tickets to the people at the entrance and took their seats. Yuzuru had managed to get pretty good ones too; they weren't too close to the front but they were near enough to get a good look at some of the action. Javier looped an arm around him and closed Yuzuru's coat with a smile.

"Are you, by any chance, babying me a little, Mr Fernandez?"

"Oh, no my dear Mr Hanyu. I am merely making sure that my sweetheart, _mi novio_ , does not get sick because of the temperature in here. I'm taking care of you, my darling."

Yuzuru leaned over and kissed his cheek with a bright smile. "Love you," he whispered.

"Love you too," Javier held Yuzuru's hand in his as the game got started.

Javier was generally very sweet and calm if anyone asked Yuzuru. He was gentle with the cats, acted like an older brother to Deniss, and was so sweet and soft to everyone in the cafe. To Keiji, he laughed and joked with him, and never held back the compliments when they were due. He showered Keiji's cooking with praise, especially when he made the second best paella he's ever tasted and even managed to make Yuzuru love the Spanish dish.

No one had managed to make Yuzuru love peppers though. And both Keiji and Javier had given up on it.

But, when he was watching sports like hockey or football, Yuzuru couldn't help but laugh at how different Javi acted. He was so into it and so invested that it was so funny to watch. Javier was so vocal as a fan, cheering when his team scored and joining the others in songs and chants. All of it went over Yuzuru's head but, if his Javi was happy, he too was happy.

"We won!" Javier all but danced around Yuzuuru as they left the arena together, "Yuzu, we won!"

"Yes Javi, you won," Yuzuru slipped his hand into his excited boyfriend's hand as they walked around together, "want to go and get dinner?"

"How do you always know what I need?" Javier leaned over and kissed the crown of his head. "Are you psychic?"

"Nope. Just love you," Yuzuru said with a smile. "What are you thinking?"

"Korean food?"

Yuzuru wasn't known for being the most adventurous diner in the world. When he lived with his mother in Japan, he tended to stick very much to what he knew and knew well. Living with Keiji, both of them were on pretty tight budgets and couldn't be too adventurous with what they ate, plus Keiji didn't know how to cook a whole lot of different dishes. He did experiment with new dishes occasionally, but sometimes they just didn't have the energy for anything other than the most boring of rice and vegetable dishes. Dating Javier, however, had all but forced Yuzuru to try many new things.

Korean food had not been one of the things he'd tried recently. But Yuzuru Hanyu wasn't scared! He would try it with his boyfriend.

Luckily, for Yuzuru, it wasn't too far away from Japanese cuisine like other food he'd had was. (He and Javi had agreed to never mention poutine again). They both agreed to get the selection of signature dishes to split between them as their main: beef glass noodles with vegetables, pan-fried home made vegetable dumplings, Korean style seafood pancakes, red chili chicken, traditional bulgogi, egg fried rice, and, of course, kimchi. They ended up laughing together throughout the meal, especially when Javier kept dropping things with his chopsticks. After makking their way through the sharing platter, the pair then ordered desserts too, to round off their delicious meal and day. They each got songpyeon, sweet rice cakes, as well as tea cookies, that they split between the pair of them, before Javier paid and they took a walk together down the street. Everything was lit only by the street lamps now, and their pair held hands as they stayed together. Yuzuru leaned his head against Javier's shoulder as the other wrapped his arm around the other's waist. He stroked the inward curve of it lightly and idly as they walked together until they both arrived at Yuzuru's home.

"Part of me doesn't want this day to end," Yuzuru said with a wistful little smile as he squeezed Javier's hand, gold and black nails standing out against Javier's hand. "Can I just stay here forever with you, standing under this lamp post?"

""I wish," Javier stroked his cheek and gave him a soft, chaste kiss, "I wish my Yuzu. But I will see you again tomorrow."

Yuzuru nodded, stroking his cheek too as he kissed the other again. "Thank you Javi."

"Sleep well Yuzu!"

"You too!"

Javier waited until Yuzuru had gone into his house before he smiled and took off towards his own home.

Yuzuru headed up the stairs and smiled to himself, sighing dreamily as he leaned against the door. Keiji poked his head out of the kitchen and raised an eyebrow.

"So? How was your date?"

"Perfect," Yuzuru couldn't keep the blush from rising on his cheeks, "so perfect."

"Tell me everything Yuzu," Keiji said firmly, "absolutely everything. Where did you go? What did you have? Was he cute?"

"He's always cute," Yuzuru defended, "and we went to the hockey game. His team won! And we then went for Korean food after and it was so tasty!"

Keiji nodded, settling down on the sofa next to Yuzuru. He looped his arm around the other and smiled. "I'm glad everything is working out okay with you two."

"It is," Yuzuru nodded before he cleared his throat and looked at the other shyly, "um, Keiji? I have something to ask you."

"What's up Yuzu?"

Yuzuru held onto his mug tightly with two hands, chewing his lip with a frown as he lowered his gaze into it. "I-I... I want to ask Javi to move in with me. To move in with us. And I wanted to ask your permission first, since we already live together and it wouldn't be fair to just get him to move in without asking you."

"I appreciate it Yuzu," Keiji rubbed his shoulder, "but you know how I like Javi. He's funny. He's a great friend. I'd love for him to move in with us."

Yuzuru's face broke out in a beaming smile and he threw himself into Keijis arms. "Oh thank you Keiji! Thank you thank you thank you!"

"No need to thank me Yuzu," he chuckled, laughing lightly, "So, will you two share a room?"

"Hopefully, as long as he doesn't mind."

* * *

"Javi?" Yuzuru sat at his dining room as the other made him dinner at home. "Javi, can I ask you something important?"

"Sure," Javier smiled ans he stirred the pot on the hob, "you can ask me anything _quierdo_. Anything at all. What's up Yuzu?"

"Javi," Yuzuru said softly, "how would you feel about moving in with me and Keiji? Specifically with me? We have more than enough space if you want your own room, or you could share my room? Plus, you're not allowed pets, but we are, so that would be a perk, right? W-what do you think?"

"You mean it?" Javier asked slowly, turning to face Yuzuru. "You really want me to move in with you guys?"

Yuzuru nodded, and Javier's face also broke out into a bright smile. He swept Yuzuru up into his arms, and he held him tightly with one hand around his waist and the other around his shoulders. "Y-Yuzu! O-Oh my God, I would be honoured to move in with you two guys!"

And so, two months later, Javier had canceelled his contract with the landlord and had packed up everything of his. Yuzuru and Keiji came over, with Keiji driving a moving van that they had rented, and both Yuzuru and Javier carried out all his stuff together. The pair of them finished packing everything up within a few hours, Javier then handed over the keys, and Keiji then drove them all to their shared home. As soon as they had finished unpacking everything of avier's into ne of the spare rooms, Yuzuru carried up Effie and Belle for him to cuddle.

"Think these two wanted to say hello to you."

Javier took them in his arms before he placed a soft kiss on Yuzuru's cheek. "I'm home," he whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Javier and Yuzuru learned more about each other by living together, and they learned how they fitted together. Although they were almost polar opposites for somethings, they fitted beautifully somehow.

Javier and Yuzuru learned more about each other by living together, and they learned how they fitted together. Although they were almost polar opposites for somethings, they fitted beautifully somehow. Yuzuru was neat where Javier was more messy. Javier liked sleeping in whereas Yuzuru was a little more of an early bird. Yuzuru drank tea where Javier drank coffee. And yet, it was their little differences and quirks that truly brought them closer. Javier fell in love with Yuzuru's little habit of leaving their mugs side by side in the morning as he made breakfast for the both of them. Breakfast, they had decided, was the one meal Yuzuru could do because it didn't involve fire or the oven too heavily. Yuzuru would make his own healthy bento box for the day to take to campus whereas Javier was much more laissez-faire about his food. Then, in the evenings, Keiji would cook them a dinner and the three of them would chat together lightly and smile as they spoke about their days. And, for Yuzuru, getting to come back to Javier after a trying day of struggling with English and cognitive science, was like coming back to a relaxing hot bath, which Javier drew for him more often than not.

Yuzuru was, in Javier's eyes, very much like a diamond. As finals approached, Yuzuru withdrew in on himself and strengthened under the pressure. Javier couldn't help but admire him for his work ethic and his strict exercise regime that he still stuck to, even when he was trying to pass his exams. He admired his boyfriend for everything he did, and, one morening, he sat down at the table opposite to Keiji.

"I was thinking of doing something nice with Yuzuru. Cause he's been working so hard for his final exams. What do you think about me doing something nice for him to help him relax after working so hard?"

"Awww, that's honestly so cute," Keiji said with a laugh, "so yes, I would absolutely say you should. Yuzu would love it! Where are you thinking of taking him?"

"I'm thinking of taking him to the rink," he smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, "cause it's been forever since we last went, and he loves it when we go to the rink together."

"Oh he'd love that," Keiji nodded, "that's the sweetest idea. That's the best idea. You're such a sweet boyfriend to him."

Javier smiled. "Thank you for your approval. Next weekend, can you do me one more favour too?"

* * *

On Saturday morning, Yuzuru woke up as the sunlight streamed in through the gap in his rose patterned curtains onto his face, awakening him gently. His eyes fluttered open and he stretched with a sigh. He rubbed at his eyes and smiled before he started getting dressed in a too large black zip up hoodie, a blue galaxy t-shirt, and tight black jeans again. He slipped on his comfortable trainers and stretched as he walked downstairs.

"Yuzu," Javier smiled as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders from behind, "Yuzu, I made you breakfast! I've got a big day for us planned!"

"Javi, what are you planning exactly?" Yuzuru raised an eyebrow at him out of suspicion as he started eating the pancakes Javier had made for him. "These are really nice by the way," he complimented, sipping at his tea, "have you been practicing?"

"Maybe," he said with a small smile. "ready to go out? We're going somewhere special."

"What's the occasion?" Yuzuru said with a sigh as he thought. "Um... It's neither of our birthdays. Not our anniversary of any kind. Yeah I can't think of anything. What's the occasion Javi?"

"You'll see," Javier confessed softly as he took Yuzuru's hand and led him out of their place, "come on. You'll love it, I promise."

The pair walked together down the street, with Javier pulling two little suitcases behind him. Yuzuru frowned at them as they stepped onto the subway.

"Why have you got my skates?" he asked quietly. "What's going on Javi? Where are we going?"

"You'll see," he promised as they stood pressed against each other on the subway to stay out of the way of the other people on the subway. Javier leaned down and gave him a light kiss as their trained pulled into the station. They climbed out together, and Yuzuru took one of the suitcases from him. He took Javier's free hand with his own free one as they walked together towards the rink with Javier leading the way. Both of them kept smiling at each other, lightly pushing each other with their shoulders. Yuzuru gasped when they got to the entrance of the rink together and squeezed Javier's hand.

"You did this for me?!"

"You've just been working so hard recently that I thought you could do with something to help relax you. So I thought let's go to the rink together since you love it so much."

Yuzuru hugged him tightly, burying his face in the other's shoulder. "You're the best boyfriend I could ever ask for," he said quietly, "thank you. I don't deserve you."

"Oh, on the contrary _mi vida_ , on the contrary. You deserve this for working so hard for your exams, and all this semester. So I thought we should do something fun together."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Lets go in!"

Javier led them in and paid their entrance fee. A public session was on the ice, and he and Yuzuru laced up their skates on the benches next to the ice itself. When both were ready, they slipped off their blade guards and stepped out onto the ice, holding hands. Yuzuru giggled as they skated around together, getting the feel of the ice itself initially. Other people on the ice stopped and stared at the two of them, as they both clearly had some experience with skating. After warming up a little, Javier decided to show off for his boyfriend by doing a double salchow. Of course, he ended up falling on his ass right in front of Yuzuru but both of them laughed as Yuzuru pulled him back up to his feet. Javier rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. Yuzuru burst out laughing.

"You do a jump then!" Javier shoved him lightly.

With a giggle, Yuzuru took that as a firm challenge. He skated around and built up speed, checking that no one was in his way, before he launched into a double axel and landed it neatly with a smug smile.

"Well Javi, I did a jump. How's that?"

"Alright, alright, you win," he said with a sigh before he started to tickle the other. Yuzuru squealed and skated away from him as he giggled, trying to evade his boyfriend's fingertips. Distracted, he tripped over his toepick and tumbled over, pulling Javier with him. Lying on the ice together, both of them cuddled each other before they made eye contact and burst out laughing. Both of them got back to their feet before Yuzuru pushed Javier lightly.

"Do the sal again!"

Javier laughed and started building up his speed again. This time he landed the double salchow with a smile and even a spread eagle exit. Yuzuru applauded him and Javier skated into his arms, hugging him tightly. The ice started to clear as Yuzuru and Javier decided to try more interesting tricks. Yuzuru did a basic layback spin position as Javier did an upright one next to him, and they then both swapped to doing almost synchronised camel spins. They stopped and looked across the now nearly empty rink before they again giggled at each other and started chasing each other around the rink, playing their own private game of tag. When their time on the ice finally ended and they were all but shoved off by the somewhat irritated zamboni driver, they unlaced their boots together and cleaned them off, drying and wiping the blades as they leaned against each other in comfortable silence.

Finally done, they smiled together and put their skates carefully into their suitcases. They stood and Javier slipped his hand into Yuzuru's with a bright smile. Leaving, they walked out of the rink together and along the street. The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon, casting golden glows of light across the world. Long shadows were cast as well, and the rays caught in Javier's hair, turning it from brown to gold, and Yuzuru's hair, turning the black to gold itself. Javier led them to Stephane's beloved coffee shop and he pulled Yuzuru's chair out for him.

"This has been the most amazing day," Yuzuru confessed, holding Javier's hand across the table, "thank you Javi. Thank you so much for everything today."

"You're welcome, _quierdo_. Thank you for being with me and for loving me."

"How could I love anyone else?"

Javier kissed Yuzuru's hand just before Stephane brought their order over, setting down the tea and the coffee as well as the slice of cake that he set between them.

"For my favourite little couple," Stephane winked, "enjoy!"

Stephane had only set down the one fork for the cake, so Javier picked it up and offered a forkful to Yuzuru. The other blushed as he ate it before he took the fork and offered a forkful to Javier too. For a beautiful minute, they were in their own little bubble of happiness and love, completely separate from everyone and everything else. For that minute, all that mattered was the pair of them sitting together and holding hands across the table.

Their moment, of course, was broken by Deniss coming over to clear their empty plate and cups away. Yuzuru poked Javier's side to encourage him to go up and help Deniss with them, and he giggled as his boyfriend protested but grumpily agreed to help. After thanking Stephane and Deniss for their drinks and the cake, the pair walked out again hand in hand.

The sun had fully set by the time they left, and the street was lit by the warm, comforting yellow glows of the street lights that lined the pavement. Javier stole glances at Yuzuru and swallowed as tears pricked at his eyes.

Yuzuru was just so beautiful, especially like this. When his eyes were wide, trying to spot the few stars that dared to peak out through the light pollution, the yellow light from the street lamps caught them and turned the near-black brown to a warmer brown laced with flecks of gold. His hair was a similar story. light caught the black, casting golden rays and highlights into it, and turning it momentarily into gold hair. From the side, his profile to Javier was perfect. His jawline, sharp as ever, held an unusual softness to it as his mouth was parted in a small 'o' of wonder. From the side, his eyelashes looked longer, and Javier just wanted to lean over and kiss the soft skin of his nose and cheek repeatedly until he giggled with laughter. He positively glowed in the light of the lanterns, like an angel glowing in an ethereal, golden glow.

"You're staring at me," Yuzuru broke the silence with a little huff, "is there something on my face?"

"Only beauty," Javier responded smoothly as he pulled the other in for a light kiss to the forehead. "You're so beautiful Yuzuru."

Yuzuru cupped Javier's cheeks, rubbing the smooth pads of his thumbs over them. In the golden light, Javier looks like something hand crafted by the gods themselves, like Adonis. The warm light turned his brown curls into curls of pure gold that Yuzuru couldn't help but run his fingers through. His normally warm brown eyes were turned into honey by the street lights, and his skin was warmed physically as well as by the light. His long eyelashes appeared even longer in the low light, framing his beautiful eyes that Yuzuru could stare at all day.

"What?" Javier whispered.

"You're gorgeous too," he said quietly, lowering his eyes to Javier's collarbone as a blush spread across his cheeks, "y-you're so gorgeous. Thank you for being in my life Javi."

"Yuzu," Javier cupped his chin and raised it with a careful, gentle hand so that they were looking into each other's eyes, "I could never ask for anyone better, believe me. Never. You are the light of my life, the stars in my sky, the sugar in my coffee, you're one of the reasons why I can wake up in the morning and smile. It's because I can wake up next to you, and know that I get to hold you every day, and play with Effie with you. I love you so much, Yuzuru Hanyu. I love you. Te amo."

When Javier finally finished his speech, he gasped when he saw tears running down the sides of Yuzuru's face. Yuzuru giggled through them and placed a kiss on Javier's cheek.

"You are so sappy," he whispered before he giggled wetly, "and you're so bad. So very very bad Javier. Making me cry like this in public and on our date. So very very bad Javi."

Javier just laughed and kissed his cheek gently. "Yeah yeah. You know I love you really."

They walked back to their apartment together with Javier's arms around Yuzuru's waist and Yuzuru's arm was around Javier's shoulders. In a comfortable silence, they made their way through the winding, narrow streets of their borough. Yuzuru unlocked their home and let the pair of them in. Effie pawed at them as soon as they stepped in, and the other cats mewed at them from their cat beds. Javier scooped her up in his arms and Yuzuru kissed his cheek as they headed up the stairs together. Javier passed the cat to Yuzuru, who immediately started to kiss and cuddle her as she purred and nuzzled against his neck and face.

Javier stepped into the kitchen and started to cook up some rice.

"Can I help you?" Yuzuru asked, standing in the kitchen with almost an innocent look on his face. "Can I help you cook Javi?"

"Oh absolutely not!" Javier pointed at him with the spatula. "No way in hell. That's the first thing Keiji told me about you: no letting Yuzuru cook anything except maybe breakfast. You stay there and look after Effie, and I will stay here and look after the food."

"And the peppers."

"They're food Yuzuru."

"No they're not!" he pouted, shaking his head as he left the room with Effie still in his arms, "they're evil!"

"And you're dramatic," Javier shook his head with a sigh as he kept cooking, "you just keep our little princess entertained, okay?"

"Alright alright," Yuzuru cuddled her with a smile.

He sat down on their sofa and held her carefully in his arms as he thought back through the history of their relationship. His heart warmed and he smiled lightly as he remembered their first meeting when a rain soaked Javier who looked like a drenched rat had dashed into the shop, desperate for a place to stay out of the horrible weather and near storm like weather. He couldn't hold back the little laugh that bubbled out of his chest when he thought back to some of their cutest dates. Like when Javier had introduced him to Deniss and Stephane, or he and Javier had studied together, or he and Patrick had ended up having a glaring contest across the table when they'd had a group study session with Javier and some others. The little cafe dates made him giggle as he thought back to every time Javier was so adorably flustered. He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice the other as he sat down beside him and offered him a plate of food. Effie did and she wriggled out of his arms to play on the floor by herself instead of with them. Yuzuru accepted the plate when he finally noticed him, and he slotted against Javier's arms and side easily, as if the pair had been sculpted to fit beside each other perfectly. They ate in a very comfortable silence before Javier looked down at Yuzuru and swallowed his mouthful of paella before he spoke up.

"Yuzu, in a few week's time, the history society is having a formal dinner, and we're each allowed to bring a guest if we want." Javier looked so unsure of himself that it made Yuzuru's heart melt a little. "Will you be my date? My guest? My plus one?"

Yuzuru's eyes lit up and he nodded, a smile blossoming across his face. "Oh my God, Javi! I would be delighted to go! Oh, what sort of thing should I wear? How formal is it? Should I gel my hair back? Or what? What should I do? Makeup?"

"It's formal, yes, _carino_ ," Javier couldn't help but giggle at Yuzuru's confused expression, "so a suit is for the best, yes."

Yuzuru's face fell. "I don't have one. Oh God Javi what am I meant to do?!"

"We can go together to get you one, don't worry _carino_. We can shop for it together I promise. We'll get you a really nice sharp black suit that looks good on you, and a sharp tie too. Maybe a blue one? Oooh, a pale blue tie would look really good on you I think? Oh, this is going to be one of the most fun dates we've had for a while!"

Yuzuru raised an eyebrow at him but couldn't help but smile at his boyfriend's own goofy smile and bright eyes. Javier looked so very excited at the mere prospect of going shopping for a suit for his boyfriend, that who was Yuzuru to break that dream? He settled down next to Javier and nodded with a bright smile.

"Tomorrow? Tomorrow afternoon? How does that sound?"

"I'm free from four o'clock?"

Yuzuru kissed his cheek with a smile and a light blush on his face. "It's a date."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Javier may have decided that this was going to be the best date they'd ever been on, but Yuzuru wasn't quite so sure.

Javier may have decided that this was going to be the best date they'd ever been on, but Yuzuru wasn't quite so sure. First of all, he'd woken up a bit late for him, and so he'd scrambled to get together breakfast and a bento box to take for the day (he may have swiped one of Keiji's packs of breakfast biscuits as he left the house in an absolute tizzy) and he shoved his healthy, improvised bento box into his bag as he ran for the door. He sprinted for the door, forgetting to grab a coat or umbrella of course, and ran to campus so that he could get to his first lecture on time. He then somehow survived his morning lectures, and made it to the library for his lunch break so that he could get in his studying for his exams as he ate.

(He offered a silent prayer to Keiji for always cooking slightly to excess so that he had some leftover food to dip into to make his bento box from.)

After studying his informatics textbook as long as he could stand while he ate his hot dog octopuses and rice, he then packed up and made it to his afternoon lectures and tutorials somehow, although it felt like none of the information was going into his head. He could hardly concentrate really, especially when his lecture ended at three thirty. He all but sprinted out of the lecture hall, despite being one of the students who would usually stay behind and ask more questions to the lecturer and get to know as much information as he could about their upcoming exams; his excitement about his date with Javier was just overwhelming at this point and he could barely hold it in.

Until he got to the suit shop.

It, from the outside, looked horrendously intimidating to Yuzuru. The white and sharp black of the front of the shop along with the delicate cursive writing of the name of the shop was so very classy, especially compared to the cursive on the front of his and Keiji's own shop. In the window, he gaped at the elegant sight of the sharp, neat and classy suits displayed there for the world to see, but he quickly shied away from them when the man standing inside visibly curled his lip at him.

"Hi Yuzu!"

Yuzuru let out a small shriek of terror as Javier wrapped his arms around him and cuddled him from behind. The other couldn't help but laugh as he peppered kisses on the top of his boyfriend's head, and down to the nape of his neck.

"Javi!"

"Sorry _mi vida_ , sorry. I couldn't help but want to surprise you though. Sorry _carino_. Ready to get a suit?"

Yuzuru nodded, but Javier could read the unease in his eyes. He smiled and slipped his hand into Yuzuru's with a firm smile.

"I'll be with you every step of the way Yuzu. Don't you worry about it, okay? I'll make sure you don't look bad."

They stepped into the shop together, and Yuzuru still felt incredibly out of place. The pair of them were greeted by the rather snooty man in his own suit who curled his lip at them both before he cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Welcome sirs. Are you, by any chance, here to buy a suit?"

"Well, we're not here to sleep with spiders!" Javier said brightly with his signature smile.

The clerk could not have looked less impressed if he'd tried. He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose with a sigh before he smiled at the both of them.

"This way sirs. Anything you had in mind?"

"Well," Javier gestured to Yuzuru, "it's for him. So I was thinking something black to--"

"Maybe I should do this, since I am the trained professional in this area, no?"

Yuzuru sighed and tugged on Javier's sleeve. "We should go Javi. We really should. We're not--"

"This place was suggested to me," Javier said almost coldly, "by a friend. A certain Cha Jun Hwan. But, you know, if you don't need our business that's fine. And I'll tell him not to come here anymore."

"Cha Jun Hwan?!" The clerk visibly gasped, and Yuzuru couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. " _The_ Cha Jun Hwan?"

Javier nodded, admiring his nails. "He told us," he then reached into his jacket pocket and offered the other an envelope, "to charge everything to his account."

The clerk opened the envelope and looked through the letter with a gasp as his face paled significantly. "V-very good sirs. This way please."

Yuzuru was suddenly rushed through to the back where the clerk stood him on a small podium. He took his measurements and held out a book of fabric samples to him.

"So, what sort of things were you thinking of sir? Maybe a sharp black suit would be good for you? Oooh, I can play around with the cuffs a bit, and we can..."

Yuzuru zoned out as the clerk and Javier started talking through fabric samples, and he allowed himself to be moved around as per their wishes. When the clerk all but scurried off to the back room to find the perfect suit for Yuzuru, the younger of the couple couldn't help but ask.

"Who is Cha Jun Hwan?"

"K Pop idol," Javier said casually as he kissed Yuzuru's cheeks.

"You know a K Pop idol?" Yuzuru asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh come on. You sure he's not just a rich cousin or something?"

"He's not," Javier dug around for his phone. He typed the guy's name into Google, and Yuzuru gasped at the images that came out: pure K Pop idol. "See? He's honestly a K Pop idol."

"Then how do you know him?" Yuzuru asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, well," Javier laughed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "kind of funny story actually. Basically, he kind of ran into the cafe one day and begged us to hide him from a group of rabid fangirls. Poor kid was only like sixteen years old at that point, so we agreed and just let him hide in the back room. Stephane made him a cup of tea and gave him some biscuits and everything until they all went away, and then we called security and then got them to take him back to the hotel he was staying in. Whenever he's doing shows and other stuff in Toronto he always comes in for a chat, some tea, and some peace and quiet. Stephane loves him."

"Okay," Yuzuru nodded, "even if I buy that story, why is he buying you suits?"

Javier kissed the top of Yuzuru's head and sighed. "Funny story. I actually mentioned to him that I needed a good place to buy a suit from in Toronto for my boyfriend built like a super model, and he sent me the location of this place. And he said not to worry about covering the cost of it cause he has a tab here, or something like that, so he said to charge it to him. As a present."

Yuzuru shook his head before he swept Javier up into his arms and kissed him passionately. "You're amazing," he whispered, "I want to find all of your secrets out Javi, I really do. I can't wait to spend forever with you to find all of them out."

The clerk came back in, breaking up their kissing and cuddling with the arrival of a sharp black suit. Yuzuru changed into it and then stood back on the platform as the clerk flitted around him, pinning parts of the jacket, the shirt, the trousers, to all fit Yuzuru's slim waist and more full, round hips and ass. Javier couldn't hold in his laughter as the clerk had to pin the sleeves as they would otherwise hang well over his fingers.

"And we'll have the adjustments ready for you in three working days," he assured them both with a smile, "so please, come back then for another fitting Mr Fernandez, Mr Hanyu."

"Thank you," Javier smiled at him before he took Yuzuru's hand, "for your time and effort. We'll be back to collect it on Friday."

* * *

"Keiji, I don't think I can do this."

"Yuzu Yuzu Yuzu, don't think," Keiji tutted as he flitted around him with a smile, adjusting the suit jacket and smoothing down the shoulders, dusting them off, "don't think about anything other than Javier tonight. Just because you don;t study history, it doesn't mean you don't fit in here. You will be the belle of the ball... uh... dinner this evening. I know you will. Alright?"

Yuzuru smiled and Keiji picked up his make up bag. "What's that for?" Yuzuru asked with a frown.

"It's to bring out your best features of course," Keiji held up a sponge and a tube of pale skin coloured liquid. "Concealer first."

Yuzuru sat perfectly still in Keiji's chair as the other applied concealer, then foundation to his face and neck. Keiji hummed to himself as he added highlighter to his nose, cheekbones, his forehead, a little dot above his lip, and a few dots below his lips. Keiji nodded to himself in satisfaction before he added a soft, pale pink blush to Yuzuru's cheeks. Choosing a light peach eyeshadow, Keiji applied it delicately and carefully to the other's eyelids; in concentration, the tip of his tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth as he focused. He then moved onto Yuzuru's eyeliner, adding little wings to the side of his face, and then he applied mascara to his lashes, bringing them out and framing his eyes more. He hummed to himself as he rooted through his makeup bag to find a lipstick shade to match the rest of Yuzuru's makeup. He picked out a pale pink, not too dissimilar to Yuzuru's own lips shade. After Keiji had finished with Yuzuru's makeup, he sprayed his face lightly with the fixing spray. Keiji stepped back and nodded before he spun Yuzuru around in his chair.

"W-wow," Yuzuru whispered as he stared at his own reflection in the mirror. His eyes stood out so much more than he would ever consider that they could. With his hair pushed back by Keiji, he couldn't help but smile somewhat shyly as he lowered his eyes.

"You look good enough for a wedding Yuzu. You're welcome," Keiji said with a wink before they were interrupted by the sharp knocking on his door. Keiji smiled and patted Yuzuru's shoulder. "Your Romeo awaits. Enjoy your evening."

Keiji stepped back and opened up the door. In the entrance, standing in their apartment's hallway in a sharp black suit as well with a maroon tie, he smiled and toyed with a small bouquet of roses in his hands.

"Is Yuzu here?" he asked softly, and Keiji couldn't help but chuckle as he stepped back.

When Yuzuru and Javier made eye contact in their suits, it was like a magical moment from a movie when the slow motion starts, the lights dim except on the two main characters, and the romantic music starts. The pair stared at each other for a moment, a perfect unbroken moment, before Javier stepped into Keiji's room and offered Yuzuru the roses.

"For my love, my life, _mi vida, carino, mi novio,_ " he kissed Yuzuru's cheek lightly, "you look perfect."

"So do you," Yuzuru whispered before he took hold of Javier's hand with his free one.

"Ready?" Javier asked. "We can put those in water for you if you'd like before we go?"

Yuzuru nodded and, after putting the roses in a vase, Javier led him out of their apartment and into the street. Into the street where he had a black taxi waiting to take them to their host location for the evening. Javier, ever the gentleman, helped him into the taxi with a smile before he too climbed into it too. They drove to the fancy restaurant where the dinner was being hosted, and he swallowed almost nervously as they stepped out together. They held hands as they walked into the venue.

Both were almost instantly overwhelmed. When Javier had said "dinner" he neglected to tell Yuzuru that the restaurant was as fancy as it was. There were crystal chandeliers from the ceiling and a plush red carpet underfoot. Paintings that looked like they could have easily hung in the Louvre decorated the walls. A huge mirror sat behind the front desk where guests would give their coats to the workers to hang up in the cloakroom before they would be seated.

"We're part of the history society event," Javier said with an easy smile to the man behind the desk. "Javier Fernandez and his plus one: Yuzuru Hanyu."

The clerk glanced up at them before he looked down at the list on his clipboard. He nodded and led the pair of them through to the main tables. Seating for a hundred people was set out, with each person set a specific place with a name place card handwritten in cursive. Yuzuru gasped at his own, and Javier looked like the cat that got the cream as they sat down. Underneath his name in English, the name card had his name written in delicate, careful hand written Kanji.

"I asked them specifically when I gave your name," Javier explained as Yuzuru slipped his hand into the other's under the table, "to write it in Kanji as well. I thought you would like it."

"I love it," Yuzuru whispered as more people filtered into the seats around them, "Javi, I love it so much."

Javier pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I love you too," he said, stroking the back of the other's hand with his thumb. "I love you too so much _carino_."

"Oh hell no," the pair of them looked away from each other to see Patrick standing beside them also in a suit, "I'm not going to be stuck next to you two the whole evening am I? You're not going to make me sick with your flirting are you?"

"We will try not to," Javier said somewhat sincerely but he chuckled lightly at Patrick's expression, "but really, sorry you're stuck with us because this is basically a date for me and Yuzuru."

Patrick slipped into his seat next to Javier's as another man slipped into the seat next to Yuzuru's. He held his hand out and Yuzuru shook it politely.

"Hi! Haven't seen you around before. I'm Scott, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Yuzuru bowed his head politely and smiled, "I'm Yuzuru, Javier's plus one this evening."

"Dammit Javi! I thought we said not to show us up!" Scott tutted before he sighed, "guess it's just me and Patrick who are the eligible bachelors tonight then."

"Sorry boys," Javier leaned over and kissed Yuzuru's cheek, "but I'm dating an angel so there is no way I'm not sharing this with him."

"Dammit Javi, you're too sweet," Scott sighed before a bowl of soup was placed in front of each of them. "You're showing all of us up. How on earth are we meant to get anyone when there's you nearby with your dashing Spanish looks and equally dashing Spanish charm?"

"I'm taken, that's how," Javier said as he set his napkin down on his lap. Yuzuru, between them, sipped at his soup and then smiled brightly.

"Good?" Javier asked him softly as he picked up his own spoon. Yuzuru nodded, eating away happily at another spoonful.

"Chicken soup. It's really nice. Don't tell Keiji, but this is better than his."

Javier laughed to himself and nodded. "I won't tell him, I promise."

"Thank you for bringing me," Yuzuru said softly as the waiters came around with bottles of red and white wine. He waved a hand lightly as they went to pour the wine in his glass, and they raised their eyebrows at him.

"Would sir prefer a different drink perhaps?" They asked, drawing the attention of too many others for Yuzuru's comfort.

"Just a glass of water please," he said quietly, earning whispers and a look of confusion as the others took his wine glasses and replaced it with a jug of water and a smaller glass. Yuzuru poured a glass for himself and buried his face in his food again.

"You don't drink Yuzuru?" Scott asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No," Yuzuru mumbled quietly, more to himself.

"Why not?" Patrick asked with a little frown.

"He's allergic," Javier interrupted before he patted Yuzuru's leg under the table and set down his spoon into his empty bowl. "Damn that food was good."

"Allergic to alcohol?" Patrick raised an eyebrow at Yuzuru as their bowls were whisked away, "must be boring when you go clubbing."

"I don't really go clubbing," Yuzuru said with a little shrug, "I prefer to work in the evenings instead, or work my job, or--"

"Javi manages to balance his work and his life," Patrick cut in, and the tension was luckily broken by the arrival of their main courses: a spaghetti dish with either meat or vegetables depending on whether the person was vegetarian.

"Wow," Javier sipped at his white wine, "this looks amazing!"

"This does look good," Yuzuru said with a nod before he speared some of the vegetables and tasted them. "Oh my God, Javi, this tastes amazing too!"

Javier tried his own and couldn't help but agree. Yuzuru had ordered the vegetarian one since his stomach was unsettled by meats other than chicken and fish, and the pasta was cooked with beef. Javier offered him some of the pasta and source without the beef for Yuzuru to try, much to Patrick's displeasure.

"So nice," Yuzuru whispered to him, "really really nice!" He offered Javier some of his own, and both of them fed each other little bits of their own food.

Both of them smiled at each other as they held hands under the table and kept eating. Scott smiled to himself when he spotted the pair of them giving each other heart eyes instead of engaging in any of the rest of the conversation on the table. Instead, all through the main course, they only had eyes for each other.

Dessert was brought out, and Yuzuru glanced at Javier out of the corners of his eyes. "You planned this?"

" _Mi vida,_ I had no idea I swear."

Yuzuru kissed his cheek and smiled as Javier held out a small piece of their strawberry shortcake dessert to him. Yuzuru took it and gasped. It tasted amazing, like one that Stephane himself had made from the cafe and, all too soon for Yuzuru's liking, it was finished. The evening wound on and soon Javier and Yuzuru left the restaurant, again hand in hand.

"Thank you so much for an amazing night," Yuzuru whispered they waited for a cab together, "I've loved it so much Javier. You're the best."

"Anything for you my darling," Javier whispered, kissing his forehead. "Now, how about we go home, get into pajamas, and cuddle Effie as we watch that anime you were trying to show me?"

"You know me so well," Yuzuru said before he jumped into Javier's arms, pulling him into a passionate kiss.


End file.
